Tom Vernon, founder of the Right to Dream Academy, has showered praise on Caleb Yirenkyi following the youngster’s standout debut for the Black Stars in their Unity Cup semifinal clash against Nigeria, describing the performance as the arrival of a “new star” for Ghana.
Yirenkyi, a 19-year-old midfielder from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland, was introduced at halftime and deployed in an unfamiliar right-back role. Despite the position switch, he delivered a composed and intelligent display, helping Ghana regain control in the second half of the match, which ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat.
“Lovely to see a new star born for the Black Stars last night with Caleb Yirenkyi making an impressive debut,” Vernon posted on LinkedIn.
A graduate of Vernon’s Right to Dream Academy, Yirenkyi was lauded for his composure, key interceptions, positional awareness, and ability to support the team’s build-up play from the back. His presence was a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing result for Ghana.
Vernon used the opportunity to reinforce the value of long-term youth development in elite football.
“There is no shortcut to the long-term development process required for elite performance in any field. RtD provides a small case study for the approach, but it’s a drop in the ocean of the talent of Ghana’s youth across all forms of intelligence,” he noted.
Yirenkyi has enjoyed an impressive season in the Danish Superliga, recording two goals and two assists in 17 appearances. His performance against Nigeria has sparked calls for more involvement in the senior national team setup, including a likely appearance in Saturday’s third-place playoff against Trinidad and Tobago.
